Breaking You
by CatchingWind
Summary: "You can't process a simple word as your vision goes fuzzy, suffusing your eyes with blackness. This may have just been your biggest - and last - mistake..." A take on the portal accident, written in second person.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a take on the portal accident. I wrote it for an English assignment and almost got a 44 out of 45 on it, because I used the word 'thing' (petty, much, Ms. Becker?), but I ended up getting full credit on it. :) It's written in second person… so yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP**

You stand on the cold linoleum flooring of your basement, practically rolling your eyes at every word that escapes out of your parents' mouths. They are quite the eccentric couple, seeing as they devote their lives to the study of paranormal entities and the like. You and your older sister absolutely despise what the two so-called freaks commit themselves to, but while your sister shows her feelings openly, you mask your discontent with a stoic face. You act as though you are listening to their scientific babble; you might as well humor them by playing along with their little fantasy. After all, this is their biggest project yet, and you don't want to disappoint them by not paying attention.

In reality, you couldn't be farther away from them right now than if you were on the moon. You daydream about numerous things: last night, which you spent with your friends, what you're going to do with the rest of your Saturday when this invention fails and you are released from their confines, that biology test next Thursday. Their blabber is nothing but an incessant monotone to you, thanks to the skill you developed years ago, the skill to tune them out. You have to admit, it has come in handy on more than one occasion.  
But then, for some unknown reason, a sharp chill runs up your spine, and you shiver uncontrollably. Your clueless parents don't pay any mind to this sudden affliction of yours, of course. They wouldn't know if the house was burning down, they get so immersed in their work.  
Yet this shiver sparks countless 'what if' thoughts that fly through your head at unimaginable speeds. What if this invention actually works? What if, if it does work, they capture one of the ectoplasmic beings they are always ranting about, and they experiment on it so much that they don't care for their only two children? What if it doesn't work and they fall into a state of severe depression? But, as always, you attempt to shake these ridiculous questions off and concentrate on a different topic.  
Only you can't. You don't know why, but the horrible thoughts just won't go away as they always do.  
_Always?_ you think to yourself. _This is the first time anything like that has ever happened! How can it be always?_  
Your wonderings are interrupted by your dad, taking his large, meaty hand and pressing it into the small of your back. It's an awkward position, considering he is almost three times your size, and you are only a fourteen-year-old kid. He pushes you forward a bit, but not too much, of course. He warns you that this invention could have some backfire and radiation to it, but you just have to see what the end result looks like.  
Their newest invention seems to be a hole in the wall, and you almost scoff at it. What is a hole in the wall supposed to do anyway? Even you could've done that if you wanted to (but you hadn't, obviously). Yet as you look closer, you can see thousands of wires and circuit boards, all lining the inside of it. The hole is bordered by a huge, steel, hexagonal ring with bolts screwed in every so often. The entire thing is about seven feet tall and six feet deep - not very large at all. You aren't quite sure what the purpose of the hole is, since you were tuning them out during the little lecture, but it clearly means a lot to them.  
Your father moves away from you, and your teal-clad mother picks up a colossal plug and extension, which you assume will power the hole, whatever it's meant for. Your eyebrows turn up a little, as you are going into a state of worry. Why wouldn't you, considering that your mom is handing the two cords to your dad who, let's face it, has the tendency to be over-excitable. He has a huge grin on his face that reaches from ear to ear as he jams the two plugs together.  
You jump as a single spark emits from the connection point and travels down the wire quickly. Your worry grows - should there be a visible spark? Is that even safe? You don't have time to consider the questions as the lights in the lab/basement dim, most likely from the sudden power surge. The spark finishes its journey and floods itself through all of those wires and circuit boards, infusing them with an eerie, icicle blue light that matches your eyes almost perfectly. You lean forward, expectant, waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but then...  
… nothing.  
Absolutely nothing.  
You find yourself surprisingly disappointed. But why? It's not like you were excited to see how this invention worked... were you? Because if you were, that would be ridiculous. You've _never_ cared about what your parents build, like, ever. All they're doing is referring to a child-like state due to childhood issues. At least, that's what your sister has said.  
But as you look at their faces, it is clear that they'd seriously been counting on this invention to work. You know without ever having heard it that they'd devoted countless hours to this project, taking all-nighters and discussing different theories about the thing during dinner. Your mother mentions something about going out, but she is so quiet and her voice is so muddled that it's difficult to make out what exactly she was saying. They troop up the stairs dejectedly, and you hear the door slam shut.  
You bite your lip. You care about your parents, you really do. You can't stand to see their depression when something has gone wrong with one of their gadgets. _But_, you think sadly, _there's nothing I can do to help_. You turn around to go up the stairs, and your foot is centimeters away from landing on the first step, but something makes you pause, lower your foot, and turn around.  
Is that a... hum?  
Yes, you are positive that it is a hum, a very mechanical one. You follow the sound, and you end up directly in front of this new invention of your parents'. It is now that you notice that the overhead lights are still dim, all of the computer screens are black, and the inside of the hole is still illuminated with that ominous glow. You are no scientist, but you know that something is missing here, or maybe something went wrong. But what exactly? Could it be a broken wire, or a missing circuit board?  
You take a tentative step forward, eager to explore, but your subconscious is screaming at you to stop and consider what you are doing. You can't exactly just walk into something like this, considering you have no technical background whatsoever, nor the right protection. Your parents wear personal jumpsuits on a twenty-four/seven basis because of the dangers of getting infected with ectoplasm.  
Yet another part of you is telling you that science is your best subject; surely you'd be able to figure out something as simple as a frayed wire or a misplaced plug. And who needs protection? Your parents are always paranoid about _something_, especially your father. Why should this be any different? Besides, it would just be plain awkward to be wearing one of their jumpsuits, even if it was your mother's.  
You take a deep breath and look deep into the mysterious hole. Something about it seems to draw you to it, like moths to a light. It seems to call to you in a melodious voice, telling you that this is where you should be. You are enthralled by its mystical qualities that are almost hypnotizing. The pressure building on you is unbearable, and your foot moves forward again, unbeknownst to you.  
Meanwhile, the rational part of your mind is tugging back with equal force, nagging that if you journey in there and something accidentally goes wrong, you could very well be killed. And what if you do go in there and you end up breaking something? Your parents may be furious with you for ruining their work that they could've easily repaired themselves. This thought makes you pause, your other foot at the ready to step forward.  
They wouldn't be mad... would they?  
Your face grows determined, your eyebrows knitting together. They wouldn't be mad if you went in. In fact, they'd praise you, give you a raise on the allowance that you don't have. Just so long as you don't end up infected with ectoplasm, or even dead.  
You thunder up the stairs two at a time and into the front hall closet, where you know your parents keep extra HAZMAT suits. You yank one off of a hanger labeled with your name, and you race into the bathroom to quickly change your clothes. You never thought that this was going to happen, yet here you are, preparing to dive headfirst into the very thing you thought doesn't exist.  
Not wasting any time, you slide down the banister and land with a small tap of your shoes when you hit the faux tile. You can't believe that this is about to happen, and you begin to have second thoughts about your decision. You instinctively bite the inside of your cheek and debate whether this was a good idea or not. But you squeeze your eyes shut and literally shake the fear from your mind. There's no turning back now...  
Carefully, you step up and into the hole that could make or break your parents. You feel as if you getting ready to step onto the moon, or something of that extent. This may very well be the biggest moment of your life, and it probably will be.  
You have to be cautious of where you step, due to the fact that there are wires scattered all over the floor of the thing, if you can even call it a floor. It looks so much like the sides that if you were to turn it over, you wouldn't be able to tell the bottom from the top. The chilling blue light streaming through unseen currents envelopes you, and it is one of the most frightening things of your life. How are you going to fix something as high-tech as this?  
Unfortunately, you miss a small bundle of wires at your foot, and you trip over it. As you are sent to the ground, your left arm flails out to try and break your fall. Your hand does manage to hit something, but it's not enough to catch you. You land, virtually crushing your right arm in the process. You know that there will be a bruise there tomorrow, but at the moment, your mind is on something different.  
Was that a click?  
You look up fearfully, only to see a small, rectangular box that holds two buttons - a red one labeled 'off' and a green one labeled 'on'. And, probably due to your track record of bad luck, the 'on' button has been depressed.  
_This is not good_, is all that you can think.  
Within a matter of seconds, you hear a loud, mechanical whirring that takes up the entire space. It resounds through your head in an annoying fashion, and you are scared. The grave blue light has been replaced by a bright, neon green one that is equally threatening. You don't even have time to think as you stumble your way to your feet, but it is almost an impossibility, though, since you are practically paralyzed with fear. You don't even think to move as a sudden burst of green energy washes over you, electricity coursing through it. This causes instant electrocution to you.  
The pain is so intense, you can't even scream. Your mouth seems to be frozen into an 'o', your vocal cords iced over. That wouldn't be an exaggeration, considering the temperature seems to have dropped a significant fifty degrees from the already cool temperature. Yet the electricity that is weaving its way through your bones and veins makes your entire body feel as if it is imploding.  
Is this what death feels like?  
An abrupt force somewhere in your head tells you that you cannot just let yourself stand here and be fried to death. You have to get out of here - _alive_.  
This voice that comes from seemingly nowhere fills you with newfound energy. Although your muscles feel like they are about to fall off of you, you fight your way to what you think is the front of the hole. It's a struggle, considering both electricity and mysterious energy are still flying right through you, but you insist that you survive. You keep one hand on the wall, despite what just happened. You must make it out of here, you have to.  
After what seems like an eternity of severe pins-and-needles feeling, your hand falls into empty space. This takes you by surprise, and you do not have the energy to keep yourself upright. You subsequently fall out, tumbling head over heels and giving you a nasty headache. Desperately, you drag yourself with your hands as far away as you can from that vile invention, but it's terrible. You feel as if you are dead.  
Maybe you are dead.  
You can't process a simple word as your vision goes fuzzy, suffusing your eyes with blackness. This may have just been your biggest - and last - mistake...

**-CatchingWind**


	2. Hiatus Note

**Okay. I know I should be updating, but I need to do this. It's not something I can put off any longer, because otherwise, I'll feel guilty.**

**I'm going on extended hiatus, and possibly permanently leaving FanFiction. I haven't decided on the latter yet. But I need to get my heart straight and I have too many other things that need to come before this.**

**Don't get me wrong, I love writing these stories. But I'm beginning to have a change of heart and I'm wondering if it's the right thing for me to be doing. That, and I have had absolutely no inspiration lately for these stories.**

**And like I said, I have too many other priorities. I have to start actually doing my homework (I just don't do my homework for some reason…) and I have to deal with moving into an actual house at the end of March. Plus I'm having boy miscommunication on my end, and I can't figure out if I've been friend-zoned or if it's something else. I also have a crap load of band stuff to be practicing, especially if I have any hope of getting into an upper class band next year in high school. Speaking of which, I also have to get my high school mind straight and start getting serious about preparing for my freshman year, so… yeah.**

**That's most of what I have to worry about, but definitely not all. Unfortunately, FanFiction is something that I can remove from my life, and I am. Like I said before, it's not necessarily permanent, but it may be.**

**In case if it is permanent, I'd like to thank everybody who's supported me throughout my time here and who has reviewed. I remember getting so thrilled whenever I received a review, and I do today. And it's thanks to you guys who have been loyal to me.**

**But hopefully, this isn't totally goodbye. I hope it isn't, but it may.**

**As for my stories, if I haven't returned by April 30****th****, all of them will be up for adoption. You don't even have to ask permission or anything, because you already have it. As long as you give me credit, I'm good.**

**Thank you so much guys, and I hope to be writing for you again soon.**

**-CatchingWind**


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